The Colorado National Monument raises up nearly 2000 feet above the Grand Valley, and is 32 square miles of total area. It is located on the edge of the Uncompagre Uplift which contains geological phenomenonlike the Grand Canyon and Arches. The Monument is made up of mesas, buttes, buttresses, pilars, and spires. Many forms contained in the Monument have been formed by wind and water erosion. The rock strata has been forming for over 1.5 billion years, and has been laid down in sequential order. There are nine different rock formations.
During the Laramide Orogeny, the Monument was uplifted. This created a monoclinical fold on the northeastern side rocks. The Monument has been uplifted and eroded many times. Rocks from this time period can be metamorphic gneisses and schists. The steep-walled canyons are the reason for this landform becoming a Monument. The Colorado Monument consists many different layers from many different time periods. The Monument is located at the northern end of the Uncompaghre Plateau.
The oldest known layer (Older Proterozoic) of the Colorado National Monument was laid down 1500 million years ago. Triassic: Chinle,Wingate, Kayenta Jurassic:Morrison, Summerville, Kayenta Cretaceous: Dakota Formations, Burro Canyon, Mancos Shale
This huge gap in rock layers is called the Great Unconformity. All the rock layers from inbetween the Precambrian and Triassic are missing, as the Triassic rock is right on top of the Precambrian layer.
Jurassic and Triassic sedimentary rocks cover the Monument's basement rocks.
The Independence Monument, a major landform in the Monument, was formed when two canyons gradually cut into each other, leaving a spire of rock in the middle of the conjuncture. The Independence Monument is mainly composed of Wingate sandstone.
Citations
Guide to the Geology of Colorado by Andrew M. Taylor, Ph. D
Baars, Donald L. The Colorado Plateau : A Geological History. New York: University of New Mexico P, 2000.
"Colorado National Monument - Nature & Science (U.S. National Park Service)." National Park Service - Experience Your America. 17 Mar. 2009 <http://www.nps.gov/colm/naturescience/index.htm>.
The Monument
The Colorado National Monument raises up nearly 2000 feet above the Grand Valley, and is 32 square miles of total area. It is located on the edge of the Uncompagre Uplift which contains geological phenomenon like the Grand Canyon and Arches. The Monument is made up of mesas, buttes, buttresses, pilars, and spires. Many forms contained in the Monument have been formed by wind and water erosion. The rock strata has been forming for over 1.5 billion years, and has been laid down in sequential order. There are nine different rock formations.
During the Laramide Orogeny, the Monument was uplifted. This created a monoclinical fold on the northeastern side rocks. The Monument has been uplifted and eroded many times. Rocks from this time period can be metamorphic gneisses and schists. The steep-walled canyons are the reason for this landform becoming a Monument. The Colorado Monument consists many different layers from many different time periods. The Monument is located at the northern end of the Uncompaghre Plateau.
The oldest known layer (Older Proterozoic) of the Colorado National Monument was laid down 1500 million years ago.
Triassic: Chinle,Wingate, Kayenta
Jurassic:Morrison, Summerville, Kayenta
Cretaceous: Dakota Formations, Burro Canyon, Mancos Shale
This huge gap in rock layers is called the Great Unconformity. All the rock layers from inbetween the Precambrian and Triassic are missing, as the Triassic rock is right on top of the Precambrian layer.
Jurassic and Triassic sedimentary rocks cover the Monument's basement rocks.
The Independence Monument, a major landform in the Monument, was formed when two canyons gradually cut into each other, leaving a spire of rock in the middle of the conjuncture. The Independence Monument is mainly composed of Wingate sandstone.
Citations
Guide to the Geology of Colorado by Andrew M. Taylor, Ph. D
"Colorado National Monument Stratigraphy." Geology of National Parks. 23 Feb. 2009
http://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov/coloradoplateau/colorado_strat.htm.
"Colorado National Monument's Geology." Climbing. 16 Apr. 2009 <http://climbing.about.com/od/historyofclimbing/ss/OttoAndIndy_2.htm>.
Baars, Donald L. The Colorado Plateau : A Geological History. New York: University of New Mexico P, 2000.
"Colorado National Monument - Nature & Science (U.S. National Park Service)." National Park Service - Experience Your America. 17 Mar. 2009 <http://www.nps.gov/colm/naturescience/index.htm>.
"Colorado National Monument Panorama" by zaui (search Colorado National Monument Panorama)
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/geology/publications/bul/1508/images/fig7.jpg (picture of time vs. layers)
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